The Cameroonian military authorities have confirmed the disarming of Nigerian soldiers in the country. This is coming on the heels of reports that about 480 Nigerian soldiers yesterday fled into Cameroon, following fierce fighting with Boko Haram militants.
The Defence Headquarters, has however, explained how Nigerians soldiers crossed into Cameroon.
Confirming the disarming of Nigerian soldiers, a Cameroonian Army spokesman, Lt. Col. Didier Badjek, said those involved are now being accommodated in schools. Clashes are said to be continuing in the border town of Gamboru/Ngala.
Boko Haram on Sunday released a video in which it said it had established an Islamic state in the towns and villages it controls in North-East Nigeria. The group’s five-year-old insurgency had intensified in recent months despite the deployment of thousands of extra troops to the worst affected areas.
Last week, a group of soldiers refused to follow orders to fight Boko Haram, saying the militants were better equipped.
Insurgents also seized one of two main police training academies, which are near the town of Gwoza, captured earlier this month. The soldiers are currently in the Cameroonian town of Maroua, about 80 kilometres (50 miles) from the Nigerian border, Lt. Col. Badjek told the BBC.
Cameroon had officially closed its 1, 600-kilometre border with Nigeria to help contain the spread of the deadly Ebola virus, but correspondents said this was impossible to enforce in the remote areas near the fighting.
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